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rifaximin

Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)

EntityQ416073· pop 26· linked from 384 articles

Also known as Xifaxan, Rifacol, Rifaximinun, Rifamycin L 105, Rifamycin L 105SV, Xifaxsan, Rifaxidin

Rifaximin is a non-absorbable, broad-spectrum antibiotic mainly used to treat travelers' diarrhea. It is based on the rifamycin antibiotics family. Since its approval in Italy in 1987, it has been licensed in more than 30 countries for the treatment of a variety of non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and hepatic encephalopathy. It acts by inhibiting RNA synthesis in susceptible bacteria by binding to the RNA polymerase enzyme. This binding blocks translocation, which stops transcription. It was developed by Salix Pharmaceuticals.

Key facts

Drug.Verifiedfields
changed
Drug.verifiedrevid
464382444
Drug.image
Rifaximin.svg
Drug.image_class
skin-invert-image
Drug.width
300
Drug.image2
Rifaximin ball-and-stick.png
Drug.image_class2
bg-transparent
Drug.width2
300
Drug.tradename
Xifaxan, others
Drug.MedlinePlus
a604027
Drug.DailyMedID
Rifaximin
Drug.pregnancy_AU
B1
Drug.routes_of_administration
By mouth
Drug.ATC_prefix
A07
Drug.ATC_suffix
AA11
Drug.ATC_supplemental
, ,
Drug.legal_CA
Rx-only
Drug.legal_US
Rx-only

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula
C43H51N3O11
Molecular weight
785.9 g/mol
IUPAC name
[(7S,9E,11S,12R,13S,14R,15R,16R,17S,18S,19E,21Z)-2,15,17,36-tetrahydroxy-11-methoxy-3,7,12,14,16,18,22,30-octamethyl-6,23-dioxo-8,37-dioxa-24,27,33-triazahexacyclo[23.10.1.14,7.05,35.026,34.027,32]heptatriaconta-1(35),2,4,9,19,21,25(36),26(34),28,30,32-undecaen-13-yl] acetate
SMILES
C[C@H]1/C=C/C=C(\C(=O)NC2=C(C3=C(C4=C(C(=C3O)C)O[C@@](C4=O)(O/C=C/[C@@H]([C@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@@H]([C@@H]([C@H]1O)C)O)C)OC(=O)C)C)OC)C)C5=C2N6C=CC(=CC6=N5)C)O)/C
InChIKey
NZCRJKRKKOLAOJ-XRCRFVBUSA-N
XLogP
6.9
Polar surface area
198 Ų
H-bond donors
5
H-bond acceptors
12
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Medical uses
  • Travelers' diarrhea
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • ''Clostridioides difficile'' infection
  • Hepatic encephalopathy
  • Other uses
  • Veterinary uses
  • Special caution
  • Side effects
  • Interactions
  • Pharmacology
  • Mechanism of action
  • Availability
  • Physicochemical properties
  • References

Rifaximin is a non-absorbable, broad-spectrum antibiotic mainly used to treat travelers' diarrhea. It is based on the rifamycin antibiotics family. Since its approval in Italy in 1987, it has been licensed in more than 30 countries for the treatment of a variety of non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and hepatic encephalopathy. It acts by inhibiting RNA synthesis in susceptible bacteria by binding to the RNA polymerase enzyme. This binding blocks translocation, which stops transcription. It was developed by Salix Pharmaceuticals.

== Medical uses == === Travelers' diarrhea === Rifaximin is used to treat travelers' diarrhea caused by E. coli bacteria in people aged twelve years of age and older. It treats travelers' diarrhea by stopping the growth of the bacteria that cause diarrhea. Rifaximin will not work to treat travelers' diarrhea that is bloody or occurs with fever.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “rifaximin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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